Something to Be Thankful For
by RedWing0109
Summary: Jason reluctantly joins his family for Thanksgiving dinner when he could be taking out a dangerous drug dealer. When he finally gets to go, Dick accompanies him and the usual chaos ensues. But in the end, Jason finally realizes that he truly does have something to be thankful for. NOT SLASH! Rated T for mild language (aka Jason's mouth) and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So here's the first chapter of my Thanksgiving two-shot. The second chapter will be up sometime tomorrow (I'm about a third of the way done it.) Hope you guys enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Batman or any of the Robins. If I did, Jaybird would spend more time with his family (heck, he may not even have died at all!).**

* * *

Something to Be Thankful For

Everything was set. Dick could feel the heat from the turkey halfway across the over-large dining room. He had three days off from work on the police force, and was determined to spend every minute of it with his family. The only problem was that Jason wasn't there yet.

CRASH!

Make that two problems. Dick ran into the living room just in time to see Damian throw Tim off the crystal chandelier. Dick flipped forward and caught a more than slightly disoriented Tim before he hit the ground. So much for Dick's surprise entrance at dinner.

"Dick?" Tim's eyes grew wide as he scanned his older brother's face.

"Glad ya recognized me, Timmy," Dick laughed. He put Tim down and ruffled his hair.

"I thought you were having dinner in Bludhaven with your girlfriend."

"Sarah?" Dick laughed. "I broke up with her a few days ago. Besides, I'd been planning on coming here for weeks."

"Does Father know you're here?" Damian asked, jumping down from the chandelier. It really was a miracle the two hadn't broken the thing.

"Hello to you too, Dami." Dick pulled his youngest brother into a side hug, who immediately wriggled out of it. "He does know. It was his idea to surprise you guys since I wasn't here last year."

Damian nodded. "Where's Todd?"

"Not here yet," Dick said. "He should be coming…"

There was a slight scraping noise from the window and all three brothers turned to see the Red Hood sliding in the window, attempting—and failing—to be discreet. He removed his hood and threw it onto one of the armchairs.

"Jaybird!" Dick crushed Jason in a hug as soon as the hood left his hand.

"Dammit, Dick! I didn't come here to be killed by you." Dick let Jason go. "It's good to see you too, Dickiebird." Jason was the only one in the room not surprised by Dick's being there.

"Did Todd know you were going to be here, Grayson?" Damian asked with a frown.

"Of course," Dick replied. I invited him.

Tim's face was a mask of shock, but he covered it quickly. "Does Bruce know?"

Jason scoffed. "Of course he does, Replacement." He glanced at Dick. "He does, doesn't he?"

"Of course," Dick replied. "I told him. We should get in there. Alfred won't be happy if we're late."

Damian rolled his eyes and walked out of the room without saying another word. His brothers followed closely behind.

Again the smell of the turkey hit Dick as he inhaled deeply. Bruce was already sitting at the head of the table, and Alfred was sitting two chairs down from him, leaving room for two boys in between. Dick and Jason took those. To Bruce's left, there were two more place settings, which Damian and Tim took. Although Damian tried to hide it, he was staring at the turkey hungrily.

"I'm glad you could come, Jason," Bruce said to his second son. "I was worried you wouldn't."

Jason smirked. "Don't think I'm doing this because I want to. I just had nothing else better to do tonight," Jason lied. Dick knew that there _was_ that one dealer by the docks Jason could be taking care of right now. Dick had been wanting to go after him as well.

He elbowed his brother and gave him a look that said _We'll go after dinner_, before saying, "I almost didn't make it myself. The chief wanted me to be on duty tonight." He didn't miss Jason's subtle eye roll response.

"I'm glad he allowed you a little time with your family, Master Dick," Alfred said.

"Yeah," Dick said. "And not being with Sarah really freed up the night."

"What happened between you two?" Tim asked.

"She just didn't agree with some of my views," Dick explained, trying to wave off Tim's question before shoving a large amount of turkey in his mouth. He swallowed when he saw Tim's raised eyebrows. "She thought Nightwing was more of a hindrance than a help in Bludhaven."

Bruce looked over at Dick. "Really? She seemed like such a good girl."

"Well, something's off about her, I can tell you that," Dick said.

"You'll look into it."

"Of course I will."

"Probably just another corrupt cop who doesn't want anyone stumbling onto them," Damian snorted.

"Master Damian, you will be respectful of other people," Alfred reminded the boy.

"Why, Pennyworth?" Damian sneered.

"Damian," Bruce warned, his voice low. Damian suddenly had an almost obsessive interest in his potatoes.

The meal was finished in an awkward silence, which was not an uncommon occurrence when all of Dick's brothers were in the same place. Once all the plates were empty and Alfred began collecting them, Bruce suggested hanging out for a while before having dessert.

"Sorry, Bruce," Dick said. "Jason and I have something we need to take care of." _There's a drug dealer on the docks who sells to kids, and I need to make sure Jason doesn't kill anyone._

"You'll be back in time for pie?" _Be careful._

"We will." _Always._

Jason rolled his eyes as he and Dick made their way to the Batcave. "I don't need you to come."

"I've had my eye on him for a while," Dick replied. "He came over from Bludhaven, which makes him my responsibility."

"He's in Gotham, so he's mine," Jason shot back as the elevator to the Batcave slowed. "I don't need your help."

"You can't go around killing any criminal you see."

"He sells to _kids_, Dick," Jason said.

"I know," Dick replied quietly. "That's why we need to get him off the streets. He's from my city, so we'll do it my way tonight."

Jason responded with surly silence.

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**A/N:** Hope you guys liked that! Second chapter will be up sometime tomorrow! Reviews are desperately wanted!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Red~


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the second to last chapter of StBTF! I'm really glad you guys liked the first chapter, and I hope you'll like the second chapter just as much!

**DISCLAIMER:** How many times do I have to say that I own nothing! Well, except for Viscone.

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Jason was crouched on a warehouse roof near the edge of the dockyard. Somewhere, he wasn't sure where, Dick was hidden. The dealer, Sal Viscone, hadn't shown yet, and the clock was ticking.

Jason checked his watch again, his eyes narrowing under his hood. Viscone was fifteen minutes late, which was very unlike him. Jason supposed he could get the kids out of there—it's what Dick would do—but they needed to be there for Viscone to show his face, if he ever arrived.

"He's not here," Dick's voice said into his ear.

"Your powers of observation are astounding," Jason snapped back. He was getting annoyed.

"You have a plan?"

"He's your villain. Your call."

"It's your city."

Jason rolled his eyes. He was about to reply when a car pulled into the middle of the dockyard and Viscone exited. Two more cars followed, from which quite a few hired muscle emerged. The kids glanced around. They were in over their heads, and they knew it.

"Now?" Dick questioned.

"No." Jason put a pair of binoculars to his eyes, instantly envying the telescoping function that the lenses in Dick's mask provides. "We wait and see what he does first."

"I'm going to get closer."

"Careful."

"What?" Dick laughed. "Hate to see your big brother get hurt?"

"No. I just don't want to be picking up the pieces afterwards."

Dick was silent, and Jason knew he was going in for a better look, and he might as well do the same. They would move in any second, guns blazing in Jason's case. Jason lowered his binoculars and slid off the roof, landing lightly on the ground. Dick could have done it quieter, but with the voices from Viscone and the kids, he would have to really make a racket to be heard.

The closer Jason got, the more he saw how Viscone was intending to rip the kids off. Not like that wasn't the norm for this guy. He'd say he'd charge one price for the stuff and then sometimes double or triple it just to see how the customers reacted. If they reacted well, he'd give them another chance to get the cash or get out. If they reacted badly…

There was the sound of several guns cocking almost simultaneously. Dick's voice sounded in Jason's ear again. "Now." This time, he wasn't asking.

Jason leapt from his hiding spot and shot one of Viscone's goons. The man fell, bleeding from a shoulder wound that was only probably fatal.

Dick's head shot in Jason's direction when he heard the gunshot, giving his opponent an opening to punch him in the stomach. _Damn!_ Jason leapt forward and delivered a kick the guy's head. He dropped unconscious to the ground.

"I thought you weren't going to kill tonight," Dick said.

"I didn't kill him," Jason snapped. "He could survive. Maybe."

Dick scowled, and Jason imagined he was rolling his eyes under his mask. Then the bird jumped back into the battle with Jason right behind him.

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A few minutes later, Dick stood panting. He had a deep gash in his right arm that would make riding his bike home hellish, but he did his best to ignore it. Right now, he had to tie up Viscone's goons so they would be there when the police arrived. More were dead than he would have liked.

"Jason, I told you not to kill anyone!"

"I don't follow orders from you, Dick," Jason snapped. "Not anymore."

"You could have disarmed them!"

"They were going after the kids! What the hell else was I supposed to do?"

Dick fell into a moody silence as he finished tying up one of the goons. "At least you could help me," he said softly. _Sorry for yelling at you._

Jason nodded, accepting his brother's apology. He bent down to tie up the goon next to him.

Dick glanced at Viscone. He would probably be locked up in a Gotham jail because he was caught here. Of course, he could always come as Officer Grayson with a request to return the drug dealer to his city. There was more to this simple drug deal than meets the eye, Dick knew, but he wasn't exactly sure what was going on. There was something missing, something obvious, something right in front of him.

There was a bang, and suddenly Jason cried out. Dick whirled to see Viscone, awake but still on the ground, raising a gun to him. Dick jumped forward and kicked the gun away before Viscone could fire. A swift kick to the head knocked him out again. Dick cuffed him quickly before turning to his brother.

Jason was lying on the ground, barely conscious, clutching a bullet wound in his side. Blood was seeping between his gloved fingers. Dick knelt and pulled off Jason's jacket and pulled his shirt away from the wound.

There was a good amount of damage. After being wounded at such a close range, it was a miracle that Jason wasn't dead already. Dick pulled a roll of gauze from his utility belt.

"Hang in there, Jaybird," he said quietly. "I'll get you home."

He was about to help Jason to his feet when Dick received a sharp kick in the back. He jumped to his feet and whirled around, barely dodging the fist that was flying towards his face. Dick double back flipped away and got a good look at his opponent.

"Sarah?"

His honey blonde ex gave him a sickly sweet smile. "What are you doing out here, _Nightwing_?"

"My job."

Sarah bent down and ran her fingers along Jason's face. "Pity a vigilante had to fall," she said insincerely. "He was one of the better ones."

Dick inwardly bristled. He knew Sarah was trying to play him, and he wouldn't allow her to get to him. "What do you want?"

"Why would I tell you, _Dick_? You'll only take the information back to the chief."

Dick swallowed his surprise. "You only dated me to find out about Nightwing."

"Correct, dearest," Sarah walked forward and placed a hand on his chest, running her fingers over the bird symbol. "I found out everything I needed to know."

Dick resisted the urge to ask what she knew and grabbed her wrist. "This is fun and all, but I really must be going. I'm late for dessert."

Sarah's expression darkened and she lashed out with a side kick to Dick's abdomen. He stepped out of the way and delivered a jab to her side. They began dancing around each other in a graceful battle, neither able to gain the upper hand. Then suddenly, there was a knife in Sarah's hand, and that knife made contact with Dick's side. He fell to the ground, feeling poison spread through is system. Only a few feet away, he could see Jason; blood had already soaked through the bandage.

Dick fumbled with his utility belt as Sarah stepped back to watch. The poison was fairly common, and luckily its cure was one that Dick had made a habit of carrying in his belt for emergencies. He drank the cure and dropped the bottle on the ground feeling his strength slowly return.

"What'll it be, Dick?" Sarah called. "Me or your dying brother?"

Dick was on his feet just as Sarah seemed to melt into the shadows of an alley. Every fiber of his body told him to go after her, to find out what she was up to. He turned away and grabbed Jason, half carrying him to his bike.

"Bruce," Dick said into his radio, "Have Alfred prep the cave's med bay. Jason got shot."

"You don't sound like you're doing so well, either," Bruce said.

"Just a few knife wounds," Dick replied. "They're not bleeding badly. Jason needs help. I'm worried he'll bleed out before I can get him to the cave."

"I'll come in the batmobile," Bruce said. "Start home. I'll meet you on the way.

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**A/N:** Ok, so this is going to be a three-shot instead of a two shot. It's a lot longer than I anticipated because I'm also using this story to set up for a Nightwing one that I'm planning. I'll tell you guys more about that at the end of the next chapter. I'll try to have the final chapter up by the end of today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Red~


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** A short chapter to finish up the story. Thanks to you guys who read it when I first put it up and to all the reviewers and favorite-ers. I'm truly thankful for you guys, and you have made my fanfiction Thanksgiving wonderful!

**DISCLAIMER:** Do I have to say it again?

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Jason woke in the Batcave, instantly disorientated. A stream of curses flowed from his lips until they were silenced by the sight of Alfred.

"You gave us quite a scare, Master Jason," Alfred said. "We thought you wouldn't make it."

Jason shuddered at how close he had come to being dead again and sank farther back into his pillows, closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

When Jason woke back up, he found his entire family surrounding him. He pushed himself up so that he was sitting, not knowing what to say.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked.

"Like hell," Jason replied. "Why do you care?" He regretted the words as soon as he said them. Bruce had gone out of his way to pick up Jason when he heard what happened.

"Alfred said you're going to need to rest for a few days, but you're going to be fine," was all Bruce said in reply. Jason just nodded, and the room descended into the second awkward silence of the day.

After a few minutes, Dick spoke up. "Alfie's going to bring down a pumpkin pie. We figured we'd eat it down here instead of the dining room."

Jason nodded. His family was reaching out to him, something that had never happened before. "Thanks," he said to Dick, "for saving me."

Dick waved it off, but Jason could tell he was surprised. "Yeah well, I can go after Sarah when I get back to Bludhaven."

"What was she doing in Gotham?" Clearly, Tim hadn't been told who almost kept Dick from saving Jason.

"I'm not sure," Dick said, "but I'll let you know when I find out." _End of discussion._

The door to Jason's room opened, and Alfred appeared carrying a pumpkin pie and six plates. As Alfred cut the pie, Dick passed it around, and soon Jason found himself digging in with the rest of his family. They were talking and laughing and there was absolutely no awkwardness where the normally aloof Jason was concerned. He had a family, and that, he realized, was something to truly be thankful for.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think! The sequel for Nightwing, Conspiracy, will be up within the next few days. Hopefully he'll be able to find out what Sarah's planning, right?

Have a _very_ Happy Thanksgiving!

~Red~


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